Somerset solar farm project may begin soon

Negotiations between the town and a solar energy partnership should begin soon for a project aimed at lowering municipal energy costs and providing needed revenue, Town Administrator Dennis Luttrell said.

Negotiations between the town and a solar energy partnership should begin soon for a project aimed at lowering municipal energy costs and providing needed revenue, Town Administrator Dennis Luttrell said.

Chosen were partners Smart Energy Capital LLC in White Plains, N.Y., to do financing and development, and contractor Borrego Solar Inc., based in Lowell.

“I thought they were the most responsive to what we were looking for, and also I thought (they) made the best presentation,” Luttrell said after the Board of Selectmen two weeks ago accepted his recommendation from three companies that made presentations this spring.

The concept is to build a “large-scale ground-mounted solar installation” that over 20 years could reap about $10 million in benefits for the town on a portion of a 100-acre tract of farmland and woods on Wilbur Avenue near Brayton Avenue.

Smart Energy would construct thousands of solar panels about 8 to 10 feet high to generate 3.7 megawatts of power to handle three-fourths of the municipal — not community — energy needs, not including school buildings.

Along with providing energy at cheaper prices than the town can purchase, a lease and payment in lieu of taxes formula would provide significant revenue to the town.

The selection of Smart Energy and Borrego over Ameresco and Consolidated Edison Development meant the town would work to negotiate a contract to begin the project.

“We’re looking for a date to start (negotiating),” Luttrell said last week after leaving messages with the companies, he said.

In a general recommendation Luttrell wrote on June 19 but said he did not present to selectmen for another month, he said his recommendation of Smart Energy was also based on the company having discussions with National Grid to formulate the size of its system and that Smart Energy had “the highest point score when we reviewed the proposals.”

He did not list that point score in a half-page recommendation to selectmen.

Smart Energy, in its letter to Luttrell last spring, said the company is “committed to helping the town reduce its dependence on harmful fossil fuels while saving money through a financially attractive power purchase agreement and lease combination.” The town’s two coal-fired power plants have been under fire over their environmental impacts.

Smart Energy has financed more than 75 megawatts of solar projects in the country over the past two years, the company said.

Borrego Solar, which would design and construct the project, has completed more than 200 such projects the past five years, totaling 20 megawatts, with another 20 under construction in Massachusetts. During 30 years in the industry, it’s installed 1,050 solar energy projects, according to its summary.

Luttrell told selectmen he believed all three applicants were “proven companies in the field. ... It would be difficult to go wrong with any of them.”

Page 2 of 2 - A major reason for delaying a decision after many months of consideration was the state reaching a threshold on regulating the 400 megawatts of projects that was legislated.

Luttrell said the town and Smart Energy and Borrego are eager to move forward in anticipation of another round of approvals.

“We want to make sure we’re first in line,” he said.

He was hopeful a contract could be negotiated in one to two months.

Luttrell said he also felt impressed they were “the most responsive to what we were looking for.”

Representatives from Smart Energy and Borrego were not immediately available for comment.